Over two million signatures in support of railway worker

A union leader has described as “incredible”, news that more than two million people have signed a petition launched in support of a railway worker who died with coronavirus after an incident on the concourse of a railway station.

Belly Mujinga died in April, a few weeks after the incident at London’s Victoria station, leaving a widower and an 11-year-old daughter.

British Transport Police (BTP) interviewed a 57-year-old man but said the incident did not lead to the worker’s death.

The number of people who have signed a change.org petition has passed the two million mark.

Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association, said: “We have seen an incredible response from the British public over Belly’s death.

“Two million signatures just goes to show how deeply Belly’s tragic death touched the nation.

“Belly’s story has helped highlight the risk of Covid-19 to BAME and other transport workers.

“Our union is continuing to push hard for risk assessments to take into account the ethnic background of workers, so that proper protections can be put in place.

“We are also calling on Boris Johnson to change the regulations so that the National Health Service Coronavirus compensation scheme is extended to transport workers.”